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The fire on the surface of the bath vanished, and with it gone, Sebastian washed Peregrine from head to toe until he was pristine. Once he was dried and dressed, they broke their fast with Sebastian’s brother, Alistair, who enthused endlessly about their upcoming journey and revealed to Peregrine their final destination—Persia—with their next stop on the tour being Beirut.
7
Sebastian
1508
As it transpired, the omega did not take easily to life at sea. Due to his good breeding, he didn’t complain in any way, though, so Sebastian was slow to realize his distress. All had seemed so perfectly normal. During the day, Peregrine kept their cabin spotless and tidy, and was attentive in his daily tutoring with Alistair; and at night, he opened both arms and legs to Sebastian.
It took Alistair, in fact, to alert Sebastian that there was even a problem.
“You need to do something with your omega,” Alistair told him several days into their voyage.
“Do you insinuate that I cannot please him?” Sebastian growled.
Alistair held up his hands in mock surrender. “Lord, no. The entire ship knows how well you please the boy. The problem is when he’s not in your bunk. Peregrine is peaky, brother. Have you not seen it?”
Sebastian frowned. “Nonsense. What do you know of omegas? Other than how to sniff them out and seduce them, that is.”
Alistair colored, but persisted. “Mark my words. Your omega is not well.”
To Sebastian’s chagrin, he found that Alistair had been right. There was something amiss with his omega. When he thought himself unobserved, his face would fall into fretful lines and he’d hurry to one of two places: either the ship’s rail, which he’d retch over while clinging to it so tightly his knuckles turned white; or their cabin, where he’d curl up and fall into a fitful sleep. Unless he knew himself to be watched, he did not smile.
“You were right,” Sebastian was forced to admit to his brother three days later. “There is something amiss with the boy.” His gut churned with worry and his dragon was remarkably unhelpful. “What should I do?”
Alistair’s face brightened. “I know just the thing. His humors are imbalanced. I think Everard should agree with me that what ails him is an excess of black bile. Until we can find him herbs to remedy the situation, you should feed him moist foods and see if you can’t do something to lift his melancholy. Maybe you could woo him.”
Sebastian glared at his brother. “Woo him? Tis a bit late for that.”
“Hardly. You’ve taken his innocence and snatched him from his home—”
“A bloody horrible home,” Sebastian grumbled.
“And you only interact with him with your cock and knot,” Alistair continued. “Of course he’s not happy. What omega would be in those circumstances?”
“And what do you suggest to remedy this, brother?”
“I know just the thing to bring a sparkle to any omega’s eye.” Alistair gave Sebastian a dragony grin.
Sebastian stared at his brother blank-faced, waiting for him to explain.
“Poetry,” Alistair revealed, grin unwavering. “It never fails. Your omega’s spirits will be much improved in no time at all and his excess of black bile should lessen if only you share with him your appreciation for the arts. I swear it. It’s worked a thousand times before. Science agrees with me—the answer is poetry.”
* * *
The answer was not poetry.
The evening started out as normal. Sebastian and Peregrine ate in their cabin. As usual, Sebastian ate heartily while the omega picked at his food, saying that he’d eaten a large meal earlier and wasn’t hungry. After the dishes were cleared and removed to the galley, however, Sebastian didn’t take Peregrine to bed. Instead, he bade the omega to lie down and be comfortable while Sebastian read to him from a book of poems Alistair had brought with him. The author was Stephen Hawes, and Sebastian had never heard of him, but Alistair assured him that he was a much-admired poet and his verses very romantic.
In a halting rumble, Sebastian started to recite. The poem was silly, to his point of view, but there were two stanzas that did seem appropriate for the occasion. Sebastian hoped Peregrine would like them. Otherwise, he was afraid the entire endeavor was a lost cause.
“The lord and knight deluteth for to here
Chronicles and stories of noble chivalry
The gentle man’s gentleness for his pastime dare
The man of law to hear law truly
